my emotions under control.
“Again, today?” Rownan questioned and I could see him raising an eyebrow to me in my peripheral vision. I blew out an exasperated breath from my lungs, begging some of the torment and emotional stress I was under to escape from my mind and body.
“Yeah. He came to my apartment this morning, and we got into a heated discussion.” I said closing my eyes so that he couldn’t see through me to discover just how heated that discussion really was.
“So he came to your home this morning? What did he want, love?”
I pondered Rownan’s question for a few minutes. What did Dominic want besides the obvious? Apparently, he was having just as hard of a time keeping his emotions in check as I was. It made me feel even more awful to know that I had turned this dominant, controlling man inside out. He had worked so hard to avoid any more devastation in his life after witnessing his mother’s murder and his father’s suicide.
“He wanted to know why I apparently lied about accepting sexual favors from him and Knox. He said he wanted the truth,” I admitted.
“Well, did you?”
“Did I what?” I asked snapping my head up to look at him.
“Did you lie?”
“I, uh…”
I couldn’t finish my sentence. Rownan was a nice person, to me anyway, but could I trust him? I thought I could trust Drake and look how that turned out. What if Rownan was working for Asher and went running back to him, telling him that I told him I lied? Everything I had done would have been in vain, and my friends would be in more trouble, or possibly killed. Then again, what if I could trust him and use his help to get myself, Dominic and Knox out of this mess?
I didn’t notice that we were pulled up in front of my apartment at first, until Rownan shifted in his seat to face me and I noticed he wasn’t driving anymore.
“Ashley, you can trust me. I hate that The Knot was closed; I had thoroughly enjoyed my time there. It had been a release for me that you cannot understand,” he said as he reached over to grasp my hand.
“Look at me. I am really glad to have met you. Believe it or not, this was the first date I had been on in over two years. I may not know you that well or at all for that matter, but I can tell that what has happened is not your doing.”
Tears stung the back of my eyes. Those were almost the same words that Kelly said to me the day after the club was shut down. I reached up to finger the necklace I wore around my neck. It had been in my possession constantly throughout the last few days.
“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to, Ashley. But I want you to know you can trust me.”
I turned to look at him as the tears broke through and fell in tracks down each cheek. Rownan lifted his hand to my face to wipe away the salty water that fell from my sorrowful eyes and his thumb rubbed my cheek. I sniffled trying to fight back the tears as I closed my eyes, drawing in a large breath. If I was going to get Dominic, Knox, and Kelly out of this trouble, then I was going to need someone to help me. I was going to need a partner to help me fight the assholes who were behind it all, and manage to keep all my friends alive. I opened my eyes and looked directly into his. It was then that I saw past him out the window at Drake leaned up against the wall of my apartment building. He was in the shadows, so I couldn’t actually see his face, but I knew it was him. I didn’t want him to think anything was going on, or that I was spilling the dirt on Asher, so I reacted on instinct.
“I’m going to need your help,” I said to Rownan.
“Of course, love. I’ll do anything I can to try to help you.”
“Good because right now I need you to kiss me.”
He raised an arched brow at me before he grinned and reached up and cupped my face in his hands, sealing his lips to mine.
“Things are going according to plan very nicely,” my boss said.
“I know,” I replied as I
“Again, today?” Rownan questioned and I could see him raising an eyebrow to me in my peripheral vision. I blew out an exasperated breath from my lungs, begging some of the torment and emotional stress I was under to escape from my mind and body.
“Yeah. He came to my apartment this morning, and we got into a heated discussion.” I said closing my eyes so that he couldn’t see through me to discover just how heated that discussion really was.
“So he came to your home this morning? What did he want, love?”
I pondered Rownan’s question for a few minutes. What did Dominic want besides the obvious? Apparently, he was having just as hard of a time keeping his emotions in check as I was. It made me feel even more awful to know that I had turned this dominant, controlling man inside out. He had worked so hard to avoid any more devastation in his life after witnessing his mother’s murder and his father’s suicide.
“He wanted to know why I apparently lied about accepting sexual favors from him and Knox. He said he wanted the truth,” I admitted.
“Well, did you?”
“Did I what?” I asked snapping my head up to look at him.
“Did you lie?”
“I, uh…”
I couldn’t finish my sentence. Rownan was a nice person, to me anyway, but could I trust him? I thought I could trust Drake and look how that turned out. What if Rownan was working for Asher and went running back to him, telling him that I told him I lied? Everything I had done would have been in vain, and my friends would be in more trouble, or possibly killed. Then again, what if I could trust him and use his help to get myself, Dominic and Knox out of this mess?
I didn’t notice that we were pulled up in front of my apartment at first, until Rownan shifted in his seat to face me and I noticed he wasn’t driving anymore.
“Ashley, you can trust me. I hate that The Knot was closed; I had thoroughly enjoyed my time there. It had been a release for me that you cannot understand,” he said as he reached over to grasp my hand.
“Look at me. I am really glad to have met you. Believe it or not, this was the first date I had been on in over two years. I may not know you that well or at all for that matter, but I can tell that what has happened is not your doing.”
Tears stung the back of my eyes. Those were almost the same words that Kelly said to me the day after the club was shut down. I reached up to finger the necklace I wore around my neck. It had been in my possession constantly throughout the last few days.
“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to, Ashley. But I want you to know you can trust me.”
I turned to look at him as the tears broke through and fell in tracks down each cheek. Rownan lifted his hand to my face to wipe away the salty water that fell from my sorrowful eyes and his thumb rubbed my cheek. I sniffled trying to fight back the tears as I closed my eyes, drawing in a large breath. If I was going to get Dominic, Knox, and Kelly out of this trouble, then I was going to need someone to help me. I was going to need a partner to help me fight the assholes who were behind it all, and manage to keep all my friends alive. I opened my eyes and looked directly into his. It was then that I saw past him out the window at Drake leaned up against the wall of my apartment building. He was in the shadows, so I couldn’t actually see his face, but I knew it was him. I didn’t want him to think anything was going on, or that I was spilling the dirt on Asher, so I reacted on instinct.
“I’m going to need your help,” I said to Rownan.
“Of course, love. I’ll do anything I can to try to help you.”
“Good because right now I need you to kiss me.”
He raised an arched brow at me before he grinned and reached up and cupped my face in his hands, sealing his lips to mine.
“Things are going according to plan very nicely,” my boss said.
“I know,” I replied as I
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